shmenguin wrote:i don't think sutter has the chops to center a scoring line - even with iginla on his wing. 12 will be in the top 6. i thought morrow was good last night, but i don't think we're nearly at the point where it's a priority to keep him with geno. also, dupuis is either going to play with crosby or with sutter. he has no history of meshing with malkin, and while it's very possible that they could play nice together, it's not something you try to cultivate this late in the game.

basically, if you're keeping line 1 together, iginla goes to line 2, morrow goes to line 3 and kennedy probably goes to line 4. if you're breaking up line 1, iginla goes to line 1, dupuis goes to line 3 and kennedy goes to line 4. i think bennett being in the lineup is somewhat of a stretch at this point.

but hey - i didn't think we were gonna do squat at the deadline, so what do i know

I agree with everything you said here.

(also, you thought I was nuts for thinking Iginla was a target...not hatin', jus' saying)

i'll happily eat crow on that one, but who could have predicted he'd come so cheap?

It's bad karma to break up a line that's playing exceptionally well; as it is to demote a player, like Dupuis, who worked his way up and is producing. It sends the wrong message to the rest of the team. Breaking up Sid and Kunitz makes even less sense.

Malkin and Neal also have exceptional chemistry together and really need a guy to do the dirty work for them; like Morrow.

There are a lot of benefits to Iginla starting his career on the 3rd line- The 3rd line hasn't yet found its 5vs5 groove; offensively at least- He'd be the focus on the line with the others playing to his strengths; he's been the focus of his line for his entire career- By taking that role, he sends a good message to his new teammates, improving morale- Playing him on the 1st line, the best line in hockey, gives him a great opportunity to fail if they start slow- It gives the team balance: 2nd line doesn't need scoring, it needs grit; Morrow has that covered; first line doesn't need any changes; 3rd line needs scoring and leadership

This s a lot like when Sid returned last year with the team playing well. He left the first two lines intact and fit where he was needed. That was the right thing to do for the team.

The opportunities to play Iginla with Sid or Geno will come when the team is playing poorly and when players are slumping or injured. I'm also speaking to regular shifts. I fully expect, regardless of regular linemates, that DB is going to be throwing experimental combos out frequently.

Really hoping to see him with Malking and Neal. He has played his entire career without a number one centre, just give him a chance already lol. I do understand the reluctance to break up the Crosby line.

Desiato wrote:This s a lot like when Sid returned last year with the team playing well. He left the first two lines intact and fit where he was needed. That was the right thing to do for the team.

I know we have the benefit of hindsight, but turning the 3rd line into an offensive line was the beginning of the unravel. Not that there weren't other components. The fact is we need 2 lines scoring, one line keeping the other team from scoring, and one line doing just enough to swing some momentum.

I know it doesn't make sense to break up Kunitz Crosby and Dupuis but it makes more sense, to me, to make a 3rd line of Cooke Sutter and Dupuis. That line would be one hell of a challenge to score on and would be what the 3rd line was for the Pens during the cup runs.

Thoughts-Had to dig up this template from the 'You're the GM thread, 3 season ago' Wow, some great posts in there. -Don't break up the best line in hockey until its struggling, so that puts Iggy with Geno.-I think Morrow could fit well on the 3rd line. Cooke as the first guy into the zone to cause ruckus with Sutter following up, have Morrow go to the net where he's most effective.-4th line is tough. I don't want TK on the team but he could be best as a 4th liner. He has more scoring than Vitale. I just hope he doesn't go invisible. Got to play Glass at least to start the playoffs, I mean, that's where his game should be most effective right? Everyone knows Adams won't be moved/sat. If TK is struggling probably go with Vitale instead. I don't think Bennett/Jeffrey will get much playing time, only if there's an injury in the top 9.-For the defense, I'm sorry I still want Despres and Letang together. Niskanen is not a top pairing guy. This is why I've wanted Despres to be there all along to get ready for the playoffs. Are people really ready for a Letang - Eaton/Niskanen top pairing? I just don't think Eaton has enough at 35 for a long playoff run... Maybe start Eaton there, and then use Despres? Either way, I like having 7 defenseman for the playoffs. I can't see the 4th line getting much 5v5 time anyways. No point in using Engelland, the guy doesn't crease clear. That's why Murray is here.

I was thinking about Crosby's line. There really is no 3rd wheel. Both Kunitz and Dupuis do the dirty work and can also get open for a one-timer, making it difficult for teams to focus on one or two players to shut their line down. if Kunitz and Crosby have guys draped on them, Dupuis will get open and score on a one-timer. Other teams can't focus on one member of the line since as of this season, they can all score at an impressive rate. Malkin's line has struggled. It also has had an anchor on the LW (except for the short time Bennett played there), allowing teams to ignore the LW and concentrate on shutting down Malkin/Neal. So putting Iginla (RW) on Malkin's line with Neal to LW, teams can't just focus on Neal and Malkin and leave Iginla open. This line would be more potent and would give opposing teams the choice of picking their own poison.Morrow Sutter Cooke would be a sweet 3rd line.

Steve Dave wrote:I was thinking about Crosby's line. There really is no 3rd wheel. Both Kunitz and Dupuis do the dirty work and can also get open for a one-timer, making it difficult for teams to focus on one or two players to shut their line down. if Kunitz and Crosby have guys draped on them, Dupuis will get open and score on a one-timer. Other teams can't focus on one member of the line since as of this season, they can all score at an impressive rate. Malkin's line has struggled. It also has had an anchor on the LW (except for the short time Bennett played there), allowing teams to ignore the LW and concentrate on shutting down Malkin/Neal. So if Iginla plays RW and Neal moves to LW, teams can't just focus on Neal and Malkin, leaving Iginla open. Morrow Sutter Cooke would be a sweet 3rd line.

Yeah I agree with this. Dupuis is having such a great season. He's finishing. There's no guarantee that he'll be the same player on the 3rd line with Sutter. It might actually benefit Morrow playing on the 3rd line vs weaker defenses. I really feel like the top 9 that we both mentioned is so solid its unreal. I really really hope they don't screw it up. I don't think Iggy will demand to play with Sid either.

Just worry about your little 4th line Bylsma. You got your grinders. Be happy.

I take it should we happen to win the Cup it will be, by your estimation, despite DB?

Defense started playing better. Team defense started clicking. I still honestly feel that HCDB is very inexperienced and I feel like he doesn't know really any other styles to play. Sometimes you need to switch it up in the playoffs. I think this team might be too deep that it might not matter. I wish Bylsma would have more faith in his younger players. From what I see they do just as good, if not better most nights than "his guys".

It's no secret I've be on Bylsma since 2010. I hope he can bring home another one...

Desiato wrote:It's bad karma to break up a line that's playing exceptionally well; as it is to demote a player, like Dupuis, who worked his way up and is producing. It sends the wrong message to the rest of the team. Breaking up Sid and Kunitz makes even less sense.

He wouldn't be demoted. He would likely stay on the 1st line with Crosby and Iginla.

As far as Kunitz goes, last year, the Kunitz-Malkin-Neal line was the "best line in hockey" (which some people also didnt wanna up)..... so I say it would probably work well again...

you know what makes little sense.... trading for Iginla and playing him on the 3rd line

Desiato wrote:It's bad karma to break up a line that's playing exceptionally well; as it is to demote a player, like Dupuis, who worked his way up and is producing. It sends the wrong message to the rest of the team. Breaking up Sid and Kunitz makes even less sense.

He wouldn't be demoted. He would likely stay on the 1st line with Crosby and Iginla.

As far as Kunitz goes, last year, the Kunitz-Malkin-Neal line was the "best line in hockey" (which some people also didnt wanna up)..... so I say it would probably work well again...

you know what makes little sense.... trading for Iginla and playing him on the 3rd line

Desiato wrote:It's bad karma to break up a line that's playing exceptionally well; as it is to demote a player, like Dupuis, who worked his way up and is producing. It sends the wrong message to the rest of the team. Breaking up Sid and Kunitz makes even less sense.

He wouldn't be demoted. He would likely stay on the 1st line with Crosby and Iginla.

As far as Kunitz goes, last year, the Kunitz-Malkin-Neal line was the "best line in hockey" (which some people also didnt wanna up)..... so I say it would probably work well again...

you know what makes little sense.... trading for Iginla and playing him on the 3rd line

You have to think about what each line is supposed to accomplish, Morrow on the third line does not make a lot of sense for multiple reasons. In his last game he really showed how he makes the Malkin line several times better, by battling that hard in front of the goal he creates a lot of room for the other guys. Furthermore, the third line is first and foremost a line that you rely on to hold on to the puck and to cycle it in the offensive zone as well as to be defensively capable and quick to fall back. Morrow is slow, he makes the third line worse by being a liability to them completing that task. Dupuis on the other hand is great defensively, he cycles and he is damn fast. He is a scoring threat on the third line while also being a player with grind and heart who can just dig in. Morrow makes the second line better, Dupuis makes the third line better. Iginla would likely make any of those two lines better but in the light of how the other guys fill their roles, the obvious choice is to play Iginla with Crosby and Kunitz. That is the only setup that make all lines look equally terrifying to play against.

Right after we score a goal, or right after a power play that is when I want to see players like Dupuis, Cooke and Sutter on the ice because they make the team better defensively. I don't want to see Morrow out there.

Unbeliever wrote:You have to think about what each line is supposed to accomplish, Morrow on the third line does not make a lot of sense for multiple reasons. In his last game he really showed how he makes the Malkin line several times better, by battling that hard in front of the goal he creates a lot of room for the other guys. Furthermore, the third line is first and foremost a line that you rely on to hold on to the puck and to cycle it in the offensive zone as well as to be defensively capable and quick to fall back. Morrow is slow, he makes the third line worse by being a liability to them completing that task. Dupuis on the other hand is great defensively, he cycles and he is damn fast. He is a scoring threat on the third line while also being a player with grind and heart who can just dig in. Morrow makes the second line better, Dupuis makes the third line better. Iginla would likely make any of those two lines better but in the light of how the other guys fill their roles, the obvious choice is to play Iginla with Crosby and Kunitz. That is the only setup that make all lines look equally terrifying to play against.

Right after we score a goal, or right after a power play that is when I want to see players like Dupuis, Cooke and Sutter on the ice because they make the team better defensively. I don't want to see Morrow out there.

Our 4th line is usually made up of Glass and Adams who kill penalties. As much as Glass has not produced, point wise, DB relies on him in that PK role. TK doesn't kill penalties, so that removes Vitale and Jeffrey from The equation. Can see the possibility of TK being moved before the deadline for a pick. We need to keep Jeffrey around in case something happens to one of the 3 top line C's.